What are your favorite games besides D&D, and why?

1. Call of Cthulhu -

When hubby and I attend Origins Gaming Convention in Columbus, Ohio every year (www.originsgames.com), we are regulars in the CoC rooms. I guess a lot of it has to do with the people who run the games - I have never had a "bad" Keeper. The games are always horror-filled and exciting. I rarely survive the game, and most of the people who join the groups are excellent roleplayers. I have been most impressed with the level of character development in these games, as well.

2. World of Darkness -

Let me make sure I differentiate between World of Darkness and Vampire the Requiem, in particular. The nWoD book is one I consider to be a game in itself. I prefer the core book, playing mortals, as opposed to some of the setting books. Again, a horror and suspense filled game, with interesting scenarios and the ability to truly develop your characters.

3. Dread -

I love this little game!!! It is a horror game which uses the Jenga game for resolution rather than dice. In the last Dread game that we played, all of the characters were ten year old kids who went to sleep in their own beds, but strangely awakened in an unfamiliar house surrounded by all of the other kids who they had never met. We couldn't get out of the house, and craziness ensued. The added excitement of the Jenga tower makes this game different and unique. With the right players, this game has awesome potential!


Let me hear from some of you on the subject! I am very open to new and interesting games.

Some games that I would love to try, but have never played:

• Unknown Armies
  
  
• Nobilis
  
  
• Tribe 8
  
  
• Prime Time Adventures
  
  

Has anyone ever played or run any of these games?

I've played unknown Armies once and it's...well hard to describe.
It has a faster pace than Call of Cthulhu yet like CoC most character won't survive very long.

Hi, JT! My husband has run Unknown Armies before, but that was long ago - before he met me. He's told me a lot about his previous games, but I have yet to play.

I don't know if everyone feels the same way as I do, but I love the fact that my character tends to be unable to survive a CoC game. In fact, during one con game, I DID survive, and I must admit that I was sorely disappointed. It just doesn't seem right... we are battling unimaginable dark Gods... yet... I survive?? lol

So what are your faves to play?

I've never played anything but Dungeons & Dragons. However, I've played in every setting they've ever produced, and I own every D&D product ever printed, all the way back to the first booklet to roll off the TSR presses through the Wotc 2003 era.

Wow, that's a difficult question to answer because there have been so many of them over the years. Call of Cthulhu, the BRP version, is a perennial favorite. I've probably played CoC more than any other game. I became involved in the Baton Rouge gaming scene because of CoC, after having met like-minded, Lovecraft fans while attending LSU <bleah bleah> years ago. Outside of the Cons though, I haven't meant all too many CoC gamers... which is kinda sad.

Another game I was really crazy about was R. Talsorian's anime inspired, mecha RPG, Mekton. The rules were simple and designing mecha, back when I had the time to waste, was always fun. We played any number of games that were rip offs... hmmm, pastiches... of 80's mecha anime. The same group that I played CoC with also dabbled in a bit of Empire of the Petal Throne (Tekumel). EPT had one of the most detailed settings every conceived for an imaginary world. It's right up their with Tolkien's Middle Earth when it came to depth and verisimilitude. The problem with EPT though was that it required a great deal of player buy-in to the background to truly appreciate the setting, which was an mind-boggling mish-mash of science fantasy with an epic 100,000+ year history.

Other games I have played, and enjoyed, were Champions (although I don't have the time or the energy to get into that "monster" again), Kult which is probably the most horrific RPG ever written, FASA's old Star Trek RPG ('cuz I'm kinda a Trekker at heart... sorta) and White Wolf's Vampire the Masquerade. It might be fun getting into the White Wolf games again, but I'm probably leaning more toward some of the splat books in the new World of Darkness moreso than the old stuff... namely Changling and Promethean.

I could probably go on for a lot longer, but I won't. I'm more interested in hearing what other people have played and more importantly, would like to play in the near future.

I've never played anything but Dungeons & Dragons. However, I've played in every setting they've ever produced, and I own every D&D product ever printed, all the way back to the first booklet to roll off the TSR presses through the Wotc 2003 era.

Ha, that's awesome! Leave to you to own every D&D product, Randy. Here my buddy and I were attempting to do just that, and we failed miserably if you truly own every book... ;P

I honestly began "role-playing" as a child, and I did it nearly every day of my life from the age of perhaps four and up, playing make-believe and heroic 'quests' around the block. I only formally began partaking in the gaming circles when introduced to D&D during 2nd edition by my cousin and his circle of friends from middle school. I was 11 or 12 when I was taught how to play, how to moderate, and how to make a decent story by none other than the Master, Lee Holmes.

I subsequently had the opportunity to partake in Vampire the Masquerade, Werewolf, Changeling, Mage, and Wraith (all in the same generation), and have even had a game or two in Mechwarrior, Shadowrun (although vague and unreputable), and some highly variant and more free-form approaches to story-telling and creative writing, and now I'm into writing my own content.

If I could play any game I have not already played, it would be Wraeththu: from Enchantment to Fulfilment. I am a huge fan of the Wraeththu mythos by Storm Constantine, a UK author and practitioner of modern witchery.

I worked with the moderators of the online Wraeththu RPG to make a decent setting and storyline, but we couldn't keep interest from continuous players in the forum format, and it has since become dormant. I considered re-invigorating it on the Elftown wikipages, but I would need to see some public interest before I spent that kind of time on it again. One of the mods from before (Casey in Australia) had the actual publication for running a mythos game in Storm's official system, but I don't have it, and can't justify spending the money on it right now.
Wraeththu RPG on Elftown (with forum URL on page)
Btw, 'Wraeththu' is pronounced "ray-thoo", and it is the name of the race of beings to proceed from humans in the mythos' future Earth.

Right now (and only until some time later this year) I am leading a group on the web called the Wiki Fiction Roleplayers' Guild, and we are a free-form, variant, open gaming, and creative writing group with a fair number of hugely multi-talented people with new and innovative ideas on how to make rpgs more openly accessible and less about rules and hit points. I personally have developed a few variant D&D/d20 systems that are based entirely around a creative concept in the game which is simply a byproduct of the storyline.

I tend to vary between calling myself a Game Moderator (for I despise being condemned to the Dungeon as its Master) and a Masterful Storyteller. I can play as a character, but I'm too creative to play that way for long unless the story is something I can latch on to. I am a big fan of character progression, realism, alternative gaming styles, multinational online gaming and groups, and I am a member and Herald-level moderator of the RPG Association, backed by Hasbro and D&D's official big wigs. I think that means I have titles, but honestly, I just like kicking back with friends and coming up with way cool stories, and just having fun.

Aside from writing, school, starting a creative business, and trying to keep it all under control (oh, and helping those wonderful folks of BabelCon this year), my biggest project is coming up with a decent campaign storyline to attach the Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign setting, WFR Guild Jashnia setting, an Ancient Earth setting, and coming up with a new RPGA encounter for players at babelcon. This could be tricky, and might require me to work months in advance to bring it together.

Honestly, I am looking forward to the meeting simply to hang with other roleplayers from in town. I would suggest hosting games in the future either at the Barnes & Noble (which seems semi-decently open to such an event in a specified and modest zone), or at Little Wars. I am not sure I could commit to a regular gaming group, but a meeting every month or so and maybe a game every other week might be nice to break the monotany of slepping, working and classtime.

Best wishes,
-will

If I could play any game I have not already played, it would be Wraeththu: from Enchantment to Fulfilment. I am a huge fan of the Wraeththu mythos by Storm Constantine, a UK author and practitioner of modern witchery.

Oh my gosh, Will! Me too! I forgot all about that game, but how could I? I loooove Storm Constantine, and I have the whole series of Wraethu novels. You just inspired me to start reading them all over again. I LOVE those stories. Oooh... A Wraethu game... that could be fun fun fun....

If I could play any game I have not already played, it would be Wraeththu: from Enchantment to Fulfilment. I am a huge fan of the Wraeththu mythos by Storm Constantine, a UK author and practitioner of modern witchery.

Oh my gosh, Will! Me too! I forgot all about that game, but how could I? I loooove Storm Constantine, and I have the whole series of Wraethu novels. You just inspired me to start reading them all over again. I LOVE those stories. Oooh... A Wraethu game... that could be fun fun fun....

I picked up the Wraeththu RPG when it was first released. Unfortunately I couldn't really get into it. One day I may try picking it up again and give it a second chance, but right now there are so many other game books I want to attempt to finish reading (I'm looking at you Unhallowed Metropolis and CthulhuTech). I'll say this though, in my opinion, the Wraeththu RPG definitely isn't for everyone. I think a game master would be hard-pressed at finding a group of players with the proper mindset and attitude to do the game justice. Personally, I would have to be *very* comfortable with a gaming group before I'd endeavour to play or run it.

Regards,
CBP

Oh my gosh, Will! Me too!

...and I have the whole series of Wraethu novels. Oooh... A Wraethu game... that could be fun fun fun....

That's friggin awesome, Nai. I'm so glad to have found another Wraeththu fan. I'm a seedy fan with no sense of embarrassment nor distaste. I am not opposed to gruesome violence, outlandish and crude sexuality, irresponsible drug usage (IC/OOC), bards going on rock & roll sprees, or the like. Sex magick was a first on my list of to-dos when creating my first fully online world.

I picked up the Wraeththu RPG when it was first released. Unfortunately I couldn't really get into it.

...I'll say this though, in my opinion, the Wraeththu RPG definitely isn't for everyone. I think a game master would be hard-pressed at finding a group of players with the proper mindset and attitude to do the game justice. Personally, I would have to be *very* comfortable with a gaming group before I'd endeavour to play or run it.

Regards,
CBP

I agree wholeheartedly, CBP. Wraeththu is a mythos, and without having fully involved yourself with the lives and stories of the main characters, it's not something you just throw a new group into. I typically approach it responsibly, allowing players who have a previous knowledge (or who are borrowing my books in the interim) to create a character from the mythos for a non-Earth fantasy/SF setting. I prefer to treat Wraeththu and Kamagrian equally in my games, however.

If I was going to run a completely mythos-oriented game session or campaign, I would do it with people I knew and was close with, and typically only those who have read at least something on Wraeththu, either on the web or in print. Online is the best. Then again, I could be surprised. Even my straight buddy told me he would consider playing in the game, just for the simple fact of trying out a new method and storyline.

And, you could always allow them to be human. More fun that way, in my opinion... Since it allows for a painful and meaningful inception. Hehehehe

Also, everyone please check out my post about who you'd want at a Celebrity RPG (link)...

Best wishes,
-will